Separated
by 1337Kitty
Summary: Based at the end of Persona 4. The TV world comes back to life and everybody is going their separate ways. Will the investigation team come back together to protect Inuba?
1. I am thou

Yu looked about his dully lit room. What had been so familiar before was now so distant. He had been back from Inaba for a year. I should be happy to be back home, he thought, but an emptiness was slowly growing and stirring within. He had graduated from high school, but had failed to make any friends like he had in Inaba. Sure he visited them-every chance he had. But it wasn't the same. It always left a lingering uneasiness in the pit of his stomach. 'You should get a job and move out' his parents had suggested him.

He recently began to feel like a burden to his traveling parents. Narakami looked at his contact list on his phone, the light illuminating the dim room. He had the urge to call someone, anyone. Yu glanced at the time. "3:05 a.m. is a perfect time to strike up a conversation..." he muttered to himself as he turned off the bedside lamp and flopped down on his bed. His eyes closed and he drifted into a surprisingly peaceful sleep.

There was a familiar voice as he opened his eyes.

"Welcome to the velvet room," spoke the voice.

"My master welcomes you once again," spoke another.

"Igor? Margarate? Why am I back here? You said I would be never coming back...?" Yu spoke.

"Fate has a way of changing course. There is a faint stirring that is quite unsettling. Therefore your powers have been restored until further notice," Margarate said casually. It always bothered Yu that they talked about catastrophe very nonchalantly.

"Where do I start?" Narakami asked.

"You can start where it all began..." Igor said and the room faded into dark.

Yu awoke from his sleep, and realized he had fallen asleep with his phone in his hand. Narakami checked the time. "Oh great, 6 a.m. I'm having one of the those nights..." He sat up and walked over to the TV. Without warning, the TV flickered on. There was nothing but static. Narakami reached over to the screen, and was not surprised when his hand went through the screen. Before he could withdraw his had, a giant black hand grabbed his arm and a great force pulled him halfway inside. "No!" he protested, holding the frame of the TV set. The pull was growing stronger and stronger. The tv was too small but the force of the pull didn't care. There was a loud noise as Yu banged his head on the frame as he was engulfed.

Yu opened his eyes. He was at the June's food court, sitting at a table. It was around mid-morning, and the sun shone brightly.

"Hey, Yu. What's up?" came a familar voice.

"Yosuke? Uh... nothing much" Narakami replied as Yosuke sat down beside him at the table.

"What are you doing here?" Yu asked, not sure of what had happened. Everything in his head before was becoming more and more fuzzier by the second.

"What do you mean? You told us to meet up! Everyone is going to meet here first and then we are going to camping. Don't tell me you don't remember...?" Yosuke asked, sounding a little annoyed. Yu thought for a moment.

"Oh yeah, I remember now," he replied. The memories were starting to come back to him. He was going on a trip with them for the weekend. They had two tents- one for girls and one for guys.

"We finished buying the supplies," Yukiko's voice came from behind. "I can't wait for you to try our new recipe for dinner!" Chie said, walking up to them.

"I bet I can..." Yosuke muttered.

At the camp site, the guys pitched their tent while the girls prepared the fire pit. "Kanji, to the right! To the right!" Yosuke shouted. "I am! These things only stretch so far, man!" he shouted back. RIIIIIPPP The sound of the tent ripping in two filled the area. Everyone stood silent for a moment.

"Oh great! Why did you have to go and rip our tent!?" Yosuke, seething, asked.

"Why ya blaming me for? You were the one stretching it!" Kanji retorted.

"What are we going to do now?"

"It's supposed to rain tonight..." Yukiko piped in.

"This keeps getting better and better..." Chie said sarcastically, mostly to herself.

"I suppose they could sleep in our tent. It's big enough," Rise said.

"No, don't give them any ideas! " Chie nearly shouted.

"What choice is there? We are in the middle of nowhere and it's getting dark," Naoto stated, gazing up at the looming clouds overhead.

"Well, fine! But don't get any ideas! I'll be watching you," Chie eyed Yosuke as she spat that final line.

At dinner, the girls made chicken and rice. All the guys sat around the fire. Chie, Yukiko, and Rise whispered to each other as they stirred the pot, sometimes glancing towards the men before continuing. Naoto walked toward them and sat beside the group, next to Kanji.

"I'm going to have to warn you, I'm legitimately afraid of what they are making. I tried to help but..." she trailed off.

"You'd think that something so simple as chicken and rice would be hard to screw up," Yosuke commented.

"Don't worry bout it," Kanji calmly said.

"Wow, you seem ok with mystery food for dinner. If Kanji isn't worried, I'm not worried either," Yu said, patting Kanji on the shoulder.

"At least one of you has faith in us! Go Kanji!" Chie cheered. Apparently, she had been eavesdropping.

"Dinner time!" Rise chimed as she handed the plates out. A think bronze goo stuck to the plates. By looking at it, Yu could not tell what was chicken, what was rice, or if there was any of those at all in the gelatinous substance.

There was a moment of silence.

"Sooo... Whose going to take the first bite?" Chie asked.

Nobody said anything.

"Well?" Yukiko said, offended.

"I'll do it. Might as well be me..." Yosuke said, downheartedly. He grabbed a spoon and held it in front of his face. "If I don't make it, I just want to let you know... you guys suck!" Yosuke popped it in his mouth. The glob stayed in his mouth momentarily before being spat back out. There was another brief silence before he said. "Yep, just what I expected. Anyone else want to try?"

"What did it taste like?" Yu asked curiously.

"Like total garbage!" Yosuke said irritated.

"Hey! We worked hard on that!" Chie yelled.

"Y-you're so mean!" Rise cried.

"If you're trying to poison us, why don't ya just say so?" Kanji joked.

"Shut up!" Yukiko screamed.

A few raindrops fell from the sky. A clap of thunder sounded in the distance. "Annnd it's raining now..." Yu said. "Let's put out the fire and get in the tent," Kanji said reluctantly while grabbing the nearby bucket of water.

"I meant it when I said no funny buisness! If any of you make a wrong move, I'll put a foot right in your face!" Chie said loudly.

"We hear you!" Yosuke loudly replied.

Inside the tent, the rain thundered overhead. The group gathered around a battery powered lamp. "Hey, cheer up everybody, because I brought a backup plan," Kanji cheerfuly said, digging through his backpack.

"Backup plan?" Naoto asked.

"Tada!" Kanji pulled out Aiya takeout, two bags containing enough for everyone.

"Wow! Dude! That's awesome!" Yosuke perked up, digging through the bag and pulling out a covered bowl of noodles with beef.

"Wait, why did you bring takeout when we said we were going to cook?" Yukiko said, not feeling the enthusasm.

"Well, the times you guys have cooked in the past have not been promising. I thought I'd bring along something in case..." Kanji explained.

"Smart move, Kanji. I'm impressed," Naoto said, grabbing a bowl. Kanji glanced away, trying to hide the fact that his face was blushing sligtly from the compliment.

"Cheer up Yukiko. It's better than starving all night. And we are getting better every time!" Chie said, handing her some tofu. "I guess you're right..." replied Yukiko, accepting the food.

Everyone talked excitedly as they ate their food. They put the bowls back in the bags when they were done. "You can't beat Aiya takeout," Yu commented.

"How did you know what eveyone liked? There was everyone's favorite dish here, including mine," Naoto asked.

"W-well... I pay attention..." Kanji stuttered, blushing even more.

"That's amazing that you remembered that! Come to think of it, I don't know everyone's favorite..." Yukiko said.

"It was nothin' really! Can we please talk about something else now?" Kanji blurted. The rain pattered louder on the roof of the tent.

"Come to think of it, now would be a good time to tell some more ghost stories," Yosuke grinned.

"No! Now would not be a good time," Naoto said, alarmed.

"Don't worry, these guys here will protect us," Yukiko motioned to the guys in the tent. "Right guys?"  
"How much of a match are we against a ghost?" Yu asked. Kanji jabbed him in the ribs with his elbow. "Of course we'll keep the ghost away!" he agreed.

Yosuke began, weaving an elaborate tale about a girl and her dog. The dog had died and came back to wreck vengeance on the owner.

"Yaaah! Stop!" Naoto covered her ears. "Calm down. It wasn't that scary. I could do waaay better," Chie put a hand on her shoulder.

"It was probably just a different dog. Dogs don't feel vengeful... yeah... that's it. It was just a coincidence," Naoto rationalized under her breath.  
Slowly the light started to grow dimmer.

"Didn't you change the batteries before you left?" Rise asked, a slight note of irritation in her voice.

"I thought you did," Yosuke replied. The light went out completely.

"Ahh! I don't like this. I-is it ok if I hold onto you, Chie? It makes me feel better..." Naoto said, loosing her cool composition.

"Sure. It's ok to be scared, Naoto," Chie replied.

"Ahh! Something is touching me!" Kanji yelled. Everyone moved around the tent.

"Shh, It's probably nothing Kanji. Hold on everyone, I'm trying to find the spare batteries," Yosuke said calmly.

"Ahh!" Yukiko screamed.

"I think I can find them...Ow!" Rise complained. There was a large amount of movement in the tent.

"Hurry up! I'm seriously getting freaked out here!" Kanji said unnerved.

Suddenly, the tent was illuminated again. Somehow there was a shuffle in the tent during the search for batteries. Chie was gripping Yukiko's arm, Naoto was holding onto Kanji's arm tightly with her eyes still closed, Rise had somehow fallen over Yosuke, and Yosuke was sprawled out on his belly trying to screw the bottom of the lamp back in. Yu was the only one who hadn't moved an inch.

"Uh... the light is back on now..." Kanji tried to say gently to Naoto.

"Oh. Uh... good. That's good," she quickly let go of Kanji's arm and averted her gaze in embarrassment. "Now please, no more stories," she said, exhausted.

"Yeah, let's try to get some sleep and hope this rain goes away," Rise said, gaining her composure.

"Well, goodnight..." Yukiko said.

Inside the tent, it was cramped to sleep in. There were bags that separated the guys from the girls down the middle. It was very quiet, except for the patter of rain. A thought entered Yu suddenly.

"Hey guys... where's Teddy...?" he asked.

"Who...?" Yosuke sleepily asked.

"Teddy... the bear...?" Yu groggily said.

"This isn't a very funny joke..." Yukiko muttered, half asleep.

Yu was wide awake now, confused.

"How have you guys forgotten him?" Yu said.

"Go to sleep..." Chie threw a pillow at him.

Yu tried to fall asleep, but something just wasn't right. Eventually his mind faded to black.

Yu opened his eyes. He was back at the Junes food court, at mid-morning.

"Hey, Yu. What's up?" Yosuke approached the table and sat down.

"W-What is this?" Yu said, unnerved.

"What are you talkin' about? The guys are getting ready for our camping trip. Don't tell me you've forgotten..." Yosuke said.

Things started happening all over again. And again. Every time they would go to sleep, Yu would wake up in the Junes food court on the day of the trip. Nothing would ever change.

"Well, time to go to bed. Goodnight," Yukiko said as she turned out the light.

"I'll be right back!" Yu said as he rushed out into the rain. He heard the group protest but he was already out. This was too strange. He couldn't take it anymore. He had to find a way to break the cycle. The rain pattered around him, echoing throughout the forest. He closed his eyes and remembered. The tv had sucked him in. Narakami had thought that was a dream... but he was starting to realize that this might be the dream. It was as if Teddy had never existed at all. All of the events, one shifting to the other- he never remembered arriving at the camp site, just being there. He never remembered arriving at the food court either; he was always just there. He couldn't remember the details about Yosuke's ghost story, just what it was about. And if it was raining, why wasn't he getting soaked?

He opened his eyes to see everyone around him. Although they were my friends, something felt different about them. It was their eyes-their harsh yellow eyes.

"What is happening?" Narakami asked hastily.

"This is your dream. Everything happens here because you want it to, weither you know you want it to or not," Yosuke said calmly.

"Stay with us," Yukiko begged.

"You can choose to wake up, but the consequences will be dire," Naoto stated.

"You can live here with your friends, having fun however you want. But if you wake up, the door won't shut so easily," Kanji said.

"So, what's it going to be?" Chie asked. They had all formed a tight circle around Yu.

"No! I don't want this reality! I choose to be in the real world. Reality is harsh, but it's where I would rather be," Narakami yelled at the entity.

"That's what it's going to be, huh? So be it!" Rise shouted as she stomped her foot on the ground. All sound had stopped. There was nothing surrounding him but black.

"Fine... but you should know... the shadows are coming..." Yosuke said through the darkness. All around him, his friends voices echoed, resonating and reverberating.

"The shadows are coming."

"The shadows are coming."

Yu awoke with a start. "Oh, it was just a dream," he sighed with relief. He had fallen asleep with the phone in his hand. Narakami checked the time. A text? He checked his messages.

The number was unknown.

"The shadows are coming."

He then decided who to call. The phone ran numerous times before anybody picked up.

"Dojima, when's the next train to Inuba?"


	2. Last Words

"Kanji, there's something I have to tell you," Naoto said, not meeting his gaze under the gazebo. The rain thundered against the roof, making her words barely audible.

"What is it?" he asked. He sensed something was wrong. Naoto appeared melancholy, not even raising her eyes as she spoke.

"In a couple weeks, I'm leaving Inuba. The police department is small, and a detective like myself is not needed," she said calmly.

"What?! No freakin' way!" Kanji shouted.

"I need to move on. Everyone else has already moved on with their lives. Yukiko is working full time at the inn, Youske has his job at Junes, Chie is continuing her studies, and Rise is on tour," she continued. Kanji couldn't sift through his mixture of emotions to speak. '_Don't leave_' his mind screamed, but all that came out was "To hell with that!"Naoto didn't even look up to acknowledge the comment.

"You are lucky. I'm not one for goodbyes. I don't plan on telling anyone else, so..." she said as she rose from the table. "Goodbye, Kanji-kun. You always will be remembered as a good friend to me." Naoto quickly bowed and left the table. She didn't even take out her umbrella as she walked briskly into the rain. Kanji sat there alone for several minutes, unable to react. "This is so frickin' stupid," Kanji muttered to himself, with his head in his hands. "Gettin' all worked up over a supid friken chick who doesn't give a shit about me..." he said to himself as he punched the table in frustration. "I can't let her do this until I tell her. It won't change much, but at least I'll feel a whole lot better."

Kanji approached the Shirogane manor nervously. He knocked a few times. The few seconds it took for her grandfather to answer the door felt like an eternity to him. "Hey... um... Sorry for coming over like this but... um..." Kanji stammered.

"Are you here for Naoto? Upstairs and to the right," her grandfather said, pointing in an almost robotic fashion. "Uh... ok. Thanks," Kanji said as the door shut behind him.

Man, that was easier than I thought. Tatsume, his palms sweating ferociously, headed to the direction of Naoto's room cautiously. I have to get over this stupid fear eventually. This shit is pathetic!

The door to her room was already open. "Hello? Naoto?" Kanji called out into the room, trying to hide his shaken voice. There was no answer. Maybe she left already...? But why would her grandfather just let me in if she wasn't here? And why is all of her stuff still here? Kanji silently contemplated as he stepped into the empty room. Hey, this is the first time I've been in a girl's room-and it's Naoto's! He couldn't help but glance around, curiously. Books and files were scattered about the room.

"Like what you see?" a familiar voice asked behind him.

"Naoto! I-I wasn't snooping!" Kanji nearly yelled, defensively.

"Haha! A likely story!" she laughed, but her voice had an undesirable sting to it. "Are you here to cry? To say 'Naoto don't go'? Please..." her tone was taunting him, mocking him.

Kanji could sense something was off about Naoto, but it was hard to place until she looked him in the eye. Her glowing gold eyes penetrated his soul.

"A shadow? Here?!" Kanji's words came tumbling out before he could think. The shadow walked closer, backing him up against something wooden, the tv stand.

"It's time to get rid of you, Kanji Tatsume. Maybe you'll thank me one day," she coldly said, walking toward him with measured steps. He couldn't go any further back. Stumbling, Kanji lost his balance. His arms flailed wildly, going through the tv.

"Goodbye!" Shadow Naoto chuckled as she rushed forward and shoved him the rest of the way in the tv. "That was too easy. Way easier than Naoto. At least she put up a fight," the rest of the shadow's words faded as he fell through oblivion.

Speeding along, the train was headed for Inuba once again with Yu on board. Train rides always make me so tired. It's boring all alone... Narakami leaned against the glass and started to drift in and out of sleep. PI PI PI PI! His phone went off. "Oh, it's Yosuke. Hello?" he answered the phone.

"Yo, dude... where are you? I think something is going on here," Yosuke said in a grim tone.

"On my way. What's going on?" Yu asked, growing more and more concerned. It wasn't like Yosuke to be this serious without good reason.

"Really? I didn't know you were coming! But seriously, bro, something freaky is going on. I don't know what it is, but several people have been acting... funny," Yosuke put a big emphasis on the last word.

"Like how?" Yu asked.

"People go missing, man! But only for like a few hours. Then everything is fine, except it's not! It's hard to explain. I just hope... oh crap!" Yosuke yelled. The phone went dead.

"Yosuke? Yosuke! Hello?" Narakami closed the phone, and silently hoped everything was alright.

At the train station, there was no familiar face in sight. The crowd thinned out as Narakami sat on the bench. "I told him to be here..." he muttered to himself while checking his phone. It was nearly an hour after he had told Dojima he would arrive.

"Ahh... there you are..." a male voice grumbled.

"Dojima, I was beginning to think you had forgotten about me," Yu said.

"No, no! I just am a little tired..." Dojima yawned. Narakami could tell the detective defenitaly wasn't sleeping. His eyes were bloodshot and seemed heavy.

"Work again?"

"Yeah... It's been so busy at the station. Constant calls and complaints. It's hard to even sit down," Dojima said, trailing off.

"I'm sorry to hear that," replied Yu earnestly.

"Well, come on. I hate leaving Nanako alone with the town like it is," snapped Dojima.

"Yes, sir!"

The trip to the Dojima residence seemed mostly uneventful, until they neared the home. The town seemed more desolate. Police officers seemed to patrol every corner of the street. The people that were outside did not appear friendly. Narakami's heart beat faster, and a pang of fear hit his chest seeing the town in such a state.

"We're home!" Dojima called once he entered his house.

"Daddy! Oh, and Big Bro!" Nanako shouted excitedly as she came running to the front door.

"Yep, he's back. How long will you be staying? You haven't said..." Dojima asked.

"I'm not sure yet. Let me know if it's a burden and I'll-"

"No, no! Don't worry. You're family. Stay as long as you need to. Just don't let me catch you doing anything to make me worry. It's getting crazy again in this town. I don't like it... But I'll tell you more about it later. I'm sure you are tired from the long trip. Go an unpack your things," Dojima said, patting him on the shoulder.

"Okay. Thank you," Yu replied as he walked up the stairs to his room.

Sitting there on the couch in his room, Narakami's heart was overjoyed to be back. It was as if nothing had changed at all. In the back of his might, though, there was an overwhelming feeling of something being out of place. His phone was silent. You would think that at least Yosuke would be calling. He dialed the number. It went straight to voicemail. Not a single phone call had reached him since he had arrived. I'll drop by tomorrow to see how he's doing.

In front of Yosuke's house, Yu knocked on the door. A long pause followed. "W-Who is it?" called a voice timidly from inside.

"Yosuke? It's me, Yu Narakami. I heard you called in sick today at work, so I came to check on you," Narakami answered and heard an audible sigh of relief.

"Oh good. It's you. I was afraid it was... someone else," Yosuke opened the door.

"What happened!? Who did this?" Yu took in the pitiful sight of his best friend. A gigantic black bruise formed a ring around his eye and he was covered in equally dark bruises of varying shapes and sizes. One eye was swollen shut. He winced like he was in pain.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there to greet you when you got here. Believe me... I wanted to," Yosuke said, not making eye contact.

"Just tell me who did it!" Narakami spoke forcefully.

"I was on my way to work yesterday, and I saw Kanji. He was not doing anything, so I went over to say hi. He then got super offended and well... this happened..." Yosuke replied downcast.

"So... you said hi to Kanji... and he beat you up? It doesn't sound like him..." Narakami said, bewildered that his friend would ever do that.

"Yeah, I don't get it either. I didn't even say anything to make the dude mad. All I said was 'hey, how's it goin'. And he was all like 'you little punk have been a pain in my ass for a long time'. This isn't the only thing though. A few days ago, I saw him hanging out with some tough looking people."

"Tough looking people?"

"Yeah, they were all in leather jackets and tattoos and stuff. I called to try to explain it to you, but I saw him and got freaked out. I don't think I could take a beating a second time," Yosuke explained.

"I understand. It's okay. We'll sort this out," Narakami reassured his friend, then asked, "Will you come with me to confront Kanji?"

"Dude, I dunno..."

"I promise to not let him do that again. If things happened like you said, then we have to figure out what's going on. Kanji is my friend too, and if he hurts you, then I'm hurt too."

"Dude... wow... you are seriously my best bro ever," Yosuke said, visibly moved by Yu's words. "If we are going after Kanji today, then I know where he hangs out. I'll show you.

Yosuke led him to a junkyard on the edge of town. Teenagers, glaring at the intruders, leaned against structures in the shade. In spite of his wary gut feeling, he led Yu on to the center of the scrapyard, where stacks of tvs littered the immediate area. A tall, unmistakable blonde stood in the center.

"Yo, you've finially shown your punk-ass face..." Kanji said in a low menacing tone.

"Kanji, what's with you? Why did you attack Yosuke?" Yu Narakami yelled, stepping protectively in front of his friend.

"And you brought your little buddy with you. That's sweet," Kanji spat his words, and the group could hear the gang laughing. Without noticing, the teens had formed a tight ring around Yu and Narakami, with Kanji, leaning on a giant stack of tvs in the center.

"It's time to teach you how tough I really am! RAAAAAAGGGGHHHHHH!" Kanji lunged at them both. Narakami was the first to get grabbed. There was no escape, even though he struggled fiercely against the tight grip around his arms. A strong kick to the stomach knocked Yu flat on the ground, gasping for breath. It was clear he wasn't holding anything back. A hand grasped the back of his jacket, dragging him along the dirt.

"Narakami!" he heard Yosuke call out, but was held back.

Kanji drug Narakami to the giant tv in the center. "Any last words, my friends, before you guys are mince meat?!" Kanji taunted as he pulled the back of Yu's head to meet his gaze.

"Yellow...eyed...shadow..." is all Narakami could manage to say as he smacked into something hard, and fell through the abyss into darkness.


End file.
